Red in the Snow
by 17dragonboy
Summary: A hunter tries to finish his quest in an unfamiliar environment, and may not have the strength to see it through. (One shot.)


Gray clouds blanketed the sky above the mountain peaks, casting down thick snowfall over the already illustrious cliffs. The icy flakes drifted and whipped with the ever changing winds, which howled with each gust and brought upon a truly chilling cold. All wildlife had withdrawn to let the blizzard pass, lest they be lost to the uncaring storm, leaving a certain, odd calmness to the white crags… Save for one, defiant, red spot that stood out clearly from the frosted landscape.

Stomping through the heavy snow was a man, a monster hunter, dressed in armor crafted from thick red shell and scale, accented by pointed black spines, and held together by sewn and riveted hide and metal. They were materials taken from the 'King of the Sky,' the fire wyvern Rathalos, a previous kill of the hunter and his proudest yet. Crafted from the same beast, a heavy kite shield was strapped to one arm, and held over the other shoulder was a highly mechanized lance capable of firing explosive bursts -a gunlance, the weapon smiths aptly called it.

Though the peaks reached up to the reign of the Rathalos, they were a very different environment from the verdant forests he presided over, and the regicidal hunter was very much out of his element. In his hubris he had taken a snowbound contract without consideration, not made the proper preparations, and now was hurting for it. He was wet, cold, and hungry, which served to dull his fighting ability. One of his shell pauldrons had been knocked loose, a spike on the side of his helm had snapped off, and his metallic chestplate had been dented in. Periodically the hunter would roll his shoulder, and he leaned to one side as he trekked through the snow.

The mission was in its final stretch, but the hardest part was yet to come. The hunter and his mark, the giant snow beast Blangonga, had done battle twice before elsewhere in the mountain range. Both times the alpha and its pack retreated, this time to their den at the summit of one of the spires. Left behind them was a clear trail of tracks and blood that the storm had yet to cover, which the hunter now followed closely. Both of the encounters were before the storm had set in though, disfavoring the foreigner, and now the snow beast would be on its own turf with the rest of its pack.

The hunter lowered his lance as he came to a stop, then set it down atop the snow as he took a knee and went to his belt. He withdrew a waterskin that, when opened, released a hot peppery smell that stung the senses. After a pause, he hurriedly removed his helmet, letting the wind bite at his face and ears, drank the container dry, then replaced his helmet. By the time he put back the waterskin, warmth was already spreading through his chest and loins out his arms and legs. The alchemical mix was a cheap and temporary substitute for proper wear, and that was the last of it he had. There was not much time left in the day either, and when night came the truly deathly cold would set in. The hunter needed to finish this soon, and so fueled by pride and urgency he marched on.

* * *

In time the hunter could see the very tip of the spire, and so moved more cautiously, knowing he was approaching the liar of the primates. He strayed from the bloody trail and followed the side of a slope, peeking over its crest every so many paces. After some distance, he saw one of the minor snow beasts, a blango, posted out in the open storm and keeping watch, for him specifically. Relieved in a way, the hunter moved further up the slope until he felt he was as close as he was going to get without being spotted.

The hunter laid his lance and shield against the bank and crawled to its top, then withdrew a small pair of binoculars before, reluctantly, removing his helmet and peering over. The blizzard may have masked his presence, but he was still a pointed red spot in the pure white snow, and he had to be close to be able to see anything himself. Squinting through the binoculars though, he could see everything he needed.

There was a cutout in the mountainside that blocked the wind from most directions, while snow piled up inside of it. The ground was littered with bones, the remains of whatever prey the troop dragged up, or had ventured too deep. By the bloody trail and giant hole in the snow, it seemed the Blangonga had burrowed in for warmth and rest, while its sentries where scattered around the den to keep guard. They too tried to avoid the wind by ducking down into the snow, sometimes huddling together for collective warmth.

The hunter crawled back, returned his helmet, put away his binoculars and collected his weapons. There was no way he was going to be able to get to any of the snow beasts without the whole troop being alerted. His armor and weapons weren't suited for it, and they had the area too well guarded. He would just have to rush in and kill as many of the little ones as possible before slugging it out with the alpha.

Kneeling against the slope, the hunter lifted up his helmet and finished off another waterskin, this one with a more pleasant herbal smell. He took a moment to mentally steel himself for the coming battle while the aches in his body faded, then stood up and marched over the slope with his lance tucked under his shield arm.

Through the howling winds the blangos heard a sharp whistle, and each looked over to see the dreaded red creature charging through the snow. Then there was a bright flash of light, blinding and dooming those closest to the hunter. He easily ran one through the shoulder, then spun himself around to dislodge the lance and swing its tip by the next monkey. Just as the lance passed by its face, the hunter pulled the trigger, unleashing a fiery burst that blew apart the animal's skull. Without pause the hunter continued his charge towards the den, firing off another shell at another blango as he passed by.

Some of the minor snow beasts scurried into the hole to summon their leader, while the rest rushed to meet the hunter and surround him, lest he tear through them one by one. He lunged at another that jumped away, but then swung and discharged to the side, blasting away another that tried to flank him with a bone club. One from the other side was held off by his shield, but another from behind got on his back and clawed away. Before it could find an opening in his armor though, he dropped his lance and rammed his spiked elbow back hard and repeatedly, quickly dropping the animal. When the blango in front pressed the attack, it was met with his spiney knee to the face, then pointed toe to the throat. Just as his shield was surmounted, he drew his hunting knife and jammed it into the monkey's neck, then rammed his elbow back again to dismount another one trying to get him from behind.

Something large came flying towards the hunter, smashing into pieces against his shield; the skull and tusks of the herbivorous popo. Now out of its burrow, the mighty Blangonga roared as it charged the hunter, its white fur already heavily stained by its own blood.

The hunter meant to pick up his lance, but another blango jumped on him from his open side and climbed to his face, completely blocking his sight. A spiked knee from below and a few swift stabs with his knife to the side were enough to remove the stubborn primate, but in that time the Blangonga came upon him at full speed. He managed to block its claws with his shield and the two slid through the snow several feet before stopping, leering and shoving against each other.

With one hand the Blangonga grabbed a hold of the shield, and with the other swung a fist around hard at the hunter's open side. The hunter tucked his arm against his ribs to better absorb the blow, but still jerked with the hit and felt a sharp pain in his arm. When the fist came back around for his head he covered up again, stumbling and seeing sparkles of light. When the fist came around once more, he lifted his spiked shoulder into its path, jamming the black spines deep into the knuckles of the beast.

The Blangonga let out a cry as it recoiled, then again when the hunter flipped his knife and pounded it into the beast's gripping fingers, fully freeing himself. The alpha quickly readied to pounce on the hunter again, but suddenly another blinding flash came from him, and when the Blangonga swung wildly to defend itself its claws met nothing.

The hunter dashed for his lance behind the Blangonga, using his shield to shove through one of the blangos in his way. Mid stride he kicked the weapon up into his grip, then slid to a halt and swung it around to his rear, hitting away a pursuant blango. Before it could recoup he stabbed it through the chest, then stabbed another coming at him, then blocked another with his shield before kicking it in the face several times and stabbing it as well… That was the last blango.

Looking at the Blangonga as it began to regain its vision and awareness, the hunter slammed the butt of his lance into the ground, causing it to fold in half at the middle and spit out three spent casings. They disappeared into the snow with a steamy hiss, and with a speed reloader the hunter put three more rounds back into his lance before snapping it back shut.

The Blangonga finally turned around to face the hunter, and saw that its entire pack had been wiped out by the lone red creature now marching towards it. Rage washed over the alpha. Its authority had been challenged, its pride wounded, and now its troop had been slaughtered. All it wanted now was to kill this red creature. After a few staggered huffs, the alpha stood up on its hind legs and let out an echoing roar to the hunter, pounding its chest before slamming the ground.

The two strode up to one another, and at the last moment the hunter lunged forward with his lance, only to fall short when the beast drew back. It then swung back hard in retaliation, smashing the hunter's shield, then again and again, but the blows only served to tire itself. Between the beast's swings the hunter tried to thrust back, and succeeded in hitting his mark, but in exchange took a stuttering hit to the gut, a trade he didn't want to make. The Blangonga then tried to get a hold of the lance, but the hunter dipped it out of reach then thrust again, drawing blood once more. Again the Blangonga tried to grab the lance, and again it missed but it came closer than before, forcing the hunter to draw the weapon back and away.

Moving in on the hunter then, the Blangonga stood up and slammed its fist down on the hunter's shield, making it hit his helmet and forcing his knees to bend. Still pressing its weight down on the shield, the Blangonga then swung hard underneath, hitting the hunter solidly in the chest and making him double over and stagger backwards. He looked up to see the Blangonga raising both of its fists over its head, and jumped back just in time to avoid having them come down right on him. Though the beast was briefly open for attack, the hunter just took the moment to try and recoup and get his breath back.

After getting back up, the Blangonga rushed forward and took a hold of the hunter's shield with its claws, then tried to punch around it, but its fist was instead met with the tip of the hunter's lance. The two struggled briefly before the Blangonga released the shield and finally got a hold of the lance, falling awkwardly down onto its forearms, but then was forced to let go when the lance shot out fire. With the beast caught off guard and struggling to get back up, the hunter started stabbing away relentlessly, trying to finish the fight right there.

Overwhelmed with pain, the alpha rolled away to the side and shakily forced itself back up, with the hunter pursuing closely. He tried to drive his lance deep with his running momentum, but the Blangonga swatted it away at the last moment, then flung a heap of snow at the hunter's face, which he narrowly blocked. When he moved his shield to attack again he suddenly saw the coming fist and, unable to resume guard fast enough, took it hard across the face, seeing lights once more.

The Blangonga took another swing at the dazed hunter, meeting his shield but still forcing him back, then another that missed when the hunter sidestepped, and another he stepped back from. It wound back to swing once more, but had to pull away when the hunter jabbed his lance at its face, coming just short of its snout. But then the mechanized lance fired off, sending searing flames across the beast's eyes, nearly ruining them entirely.

As the Blangonga recoiled with a cry and covered its eyes, the hunter moved to get a better line of attack at the side of its neck, only taking a split second to measure his strike before lunging forward. The lance plunged deep… But missed its mark, and when the hunter pulled the trigger the Blangonga jerked and swung its arm. Bits of flesh blew loose but there wasn't the stream of blood the hunter was hoping for.

The Blangonga moved in close suddenly, possibly still blinded, and threw its fist up as hard as it could into the hunter. Though the hunter managed to put his shield in the way, he was still lifted up and sent flying through the air, then crashing into the snow on his back. He scrambled to get back up, but had no time as the Blangonga rushed him down. Just before it pounced on him, he raised his lance up from the ground, goring the Blangonga deeply in the chest from its own weight. The beast let out a yelp of pain, but after just a moment continued to grab and swing at the grounded hunter from above.

The blows were weaker because of the impalement, and the hunter was able to weather them by curling up his body behind his shield, hoping now to just outlast the beast. Seeing the struggle, the Blangonga leaned back and took hold of the lance with both hands, then pulled it from its chest and pinned it to the ground, the hunter still gripping the handle. The beast kept one hand on the weapon then began beating down with the other, but still could not do effective damage with the shield in the way. When it tried to rip the barrier free from the hunter, his whole body simply moved with it as he held on dearly.

Still gripping the shield, the Blangonga released the lance and pressed its hand against the hunter's chest, crushing him beneath. The hunter strained to keep air in his lungs, but endured as he pulled a lever on the lance, causing a dense cone of fire to begin forming at its end. At the same time, the Blangonga tore the shield from the hunter's arm, then began swinging it down madly as a murderous bludgeon.

The hunter desperately tried to cover his helmet with his free arm, but the onslaught was just devastating. His gauntlet was dented and his bones cracked underneath, then his helmet was caved in and sparkling lights flooded his vision. The darkness started to take over, but he forced himself to hang on just a few seconds more. He roared and with one last surge of strength turned the mechanized lance up at the Blangonga, which now poured out bright white flames.

An enormous explosion enveloped the Blangonga, displacing the powdery air and echoing out across the spire. Blood splattered the snow in all directions and bits of burnt flesh and fur soon rained from above, littering the area. Once the wind regained its strength the cloud of smoke was quickly whisked away, revealing the Blangonga lying across the monster hunter. A pool of blood melted away the snow and let off steam into the air, while the mechanized lance hissed in the snowstorm. The hunter remained still underneath the giant corpse, embraced by the warmth now surrounding him.

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Hope you enjoyed. Construction criticism and the like is appreciated.


End file.
